Federal lawmakers from Georgia file legislation to fund Atlanta water system upgrades

ATLANTA — A group of Georgia’s federal lawmakers have introduced legislation in U.S. Congress to get Atlanta the funds it needs to upgrade its water infrastructure and facilities.

The legislation comes in response to the water main crisis in June, when thousands of Atlantans went without water for several days as a series of water main breaks caused disruptions to traffic, utilities and even events in the city.

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock introduced the City of Atlanta Water Infrastructure Enhancement Act in the U.S. Senate while Rep. Nikema Williams introduced a companion bill for it in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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In June, Ossoff, Warnock and Williams delivered nearly $1 million from the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to pay for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review Atlanta’s aging water system.

Now, the legislation filed by the three lawmakers aims to provide $100 million to go toward upgrading the city’s aging utility.

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However, previous remarks from Mayor Andre Dickens indicate that the $100 million, while a chunk of the funding needed, would only cover about 10% of what the project needs.

After the water crisis had officially ended and recovery was underway, city officials reviewed the water system with Army Corp of Engineers staff.

In remarks following the review, Dickens told Channel 2 Action News that billions of dollars may be needed to fully upgrade the infrastructure.

As previously reported, many of Atlanta’s pipes were put in place in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, meaning some are as old as 80. Dickens said the age of the system and the need for upgrades meant that the city would need to request aid from the federal government.

“I will be asking the feds for more money, lots more money. I want us to be the example of solving it, all of it, and that’s going to be a number in the b’s, billions. It’s not going to be a small number,” Dickens said in June.

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